CONCORD, N.C. — Richard Childress wasn’t going to let just anyone drive the iconic black No. 3 Chevrolet following the death of the legendary Dale Earnhardt 16 years ago.

It had to be someone special.

“To put my grandson in that car was unbelievable,” Childress said.

Four years after that emotional and somewhat controversial decision to bring the No. 3 back, Austin Dillon delivered with his first Series Cup victory early Monday at the Coca-Cola 600, a victory that resonated with Earnhardt fans across the country and left his grandfather on the verge of tears.

Childress said the moment didn’t sink in until he looked up at the board after the race.

“When I saw the 3 on top, that is when I got emotional,” Childress said. “It’s so special to see that 3 on top of the board and know that my grandson is in the car.”

Dillon said capturing his first Cup Series win in the No. 3 car took some pressure off him.

“He was the best of all time,” Dillon said of Earnhardt. “And I am glad to add to the legacy of it. And I want to keep adding.”

Childress said he never doubted the decision to bring back the No. 3 and rarely goes anywhere without fans telling him how thankful they are he made the decision.

“Nothing will ever replace Dale Earnhardt, but we wanted to carry it over for the fans,” Childress said.

Some things we learned from the Coca-Cola 600:

Martin Truex Jr. has dominated the Coca-Cola 600 the last three years, but only has one win to show for it.

Truex has led 63 percent (756 of 1,200) of the laps at Charlotte Motor Speedway the last three years, but has lost twice on fuel mileage.

“This is the third year in a row we led the most laps and felt like we had a chance to win and two out of the three we lost on fuel mileage,” Truex said. “So that’s a little tough to swallow. But I can’t say enough about my team. It’s tough to come up short on fuel mileage, but we have been on this side of it before.”

Kyle Larson’s 10-day stay in Charlotte was filled with disappointment.

The Cup Series points leader’s run at a Coca-Cola 600 championship ended late in the third stage when he hit the wall in turn three at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Larson had only one finish outside of the top 25 this season until Sunday when he finished 33rd.

Indy 500

INDIANAPOLIS — Takuma Sato had victory in sight once before at the Indianapolis 500. When he attempted a last-lap pass, Sato lost control of his car, crashed and Dario Franchitti went on to his third victory in “The Greatest Spectacle In Racing.”

In nearly the same position five years later, Sato leaned on lessons learned in that 2012 defeat and became the first Japanese driver to win the Indianapolis 500.

“I do feel after 2012 that I really needed to correct something I left over,” Sato said. “In 2012, going into Turn 1 with Dario was a big risk. But you always learn something from those situations, and this time we proved we had what it takes.”

In winning for just the second time in IndyCar, Sato had to hold off Helio Castroneves over the closing laps Sunday to deny the veteran a record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 victory. The two swapped the lead, and Castroneves made one last attempt at a pass for the win that he couldn’t make stick.

“When Helio was coming with three laps to go, on a big charge into Turn 1, we went side-by-side,” Sato said. “But this time I ended up still pointing in the right direction.”